Weekly Newsletter – May 25, 2018

In a wonderful ceremony on Thursday evening, we celebrated those who make up the very heart of King David: our students. Parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends joined us for this special event, where we featured student art, musical performances, and delicious food from our Foods program. We proudly showcased the work our students and teachers do each day in and out of the classroom, and recognized our students for their many amazing attributes and values.

When recognizing students, we intentionally define outstanding in many ways, which are not limited by the narrow definition of a student with the top mark in a course. While recipients may be academically strong, teachers are encouraged to give additional consideration to other characteristics such as effort, improvement, positive contribution to the learning environment, resilience, or perseverance, just to name a few.

Along with the recognition of student achievement in a variety of disciplines, the audience was treated to some amazing musical performances: "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, "Change" by J. Cole, "Reelin’ in the Years" by Steely Dan, "This is Me" from the musical The Greatest Showman, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. The Foods students prepared delicious treats that were enjoyed by all, and the Art students had a display of many of the amazing pieces they have created this year along the walls of the atrium. Jack Pekarsky, Noa Platner, and Sharon Meyers, three of our 18 Grade 11 and 12 students who went on March of the Living this year, worked together to create a short, emotional video inspired by their trip, (see below) which was also shown on Thursday.

HOPE, PRIDE, AND BELONGING

In April, 18 King David students participated in the March of the Living program that takes students in Grades 11 and 12 to Poland and Israel.

In an article in the Jewish Independent written by Lauren Kramer, Noa Platner, Grade 12, described her time in Poland as "very hard, intense in a way I didn’t expect. We’d go to the camps and hear the story of a specific family, which helped us feel really connected," she reflected. "But it was very hard, and it crushes you on the inside. I realized all the people who went through the Holocaust had their own individual stories. You always hear the number of people, but you don’t think of the emotions they felt."

Noa went on to say that participating in March of the Living "gave me a sense of hope, pride and belonging. My Jewish identity has changed, I feel a stronger sense of purpose to follow the traditions and be a part of my community in honour of those who died and are still dying for our nation." Read the full article here.

On Friday during TAG, Grade 11 students Devin Gorski, Giovanna Markman, Jillian Marks, Adam Rosengarten, Harel Ruhr, and Lauren Shore, all of whom participated in the program, shared their experiences with small groups of students and teachers.